Greatest Hits

The new novel from the author of number one bestseller The Versions of Us

'Barnett has that rare talent, like Curtis Sittenfeld or Kate Atkinson, of building up the mundane aspects of everyday life until they acquire meaning' THE TIMES

'Barnett excels herself in this mesmerising ballad of a book...Greatest Hits is not just about music, it's about people: their ambitions, friendships and flaws. An absolute must read' STYLIST

If you could choose just sixteen moments to define your entire life, what would they be?

Cass Wheeler has seen it all - from the searing heights of success, to earth-shattering moments of despair. She has known passion, envy, pride, fear, and love. She has been a daughter, a mother, a singer, a lover.

A musician born in 1950, Cass is now taking one day to select the sixteen songs in her repertoire that have meant the most to her. And behind each song lies a story - from the day her mother abandoned her, to her passionate first love, to the moment she lost everything. The dreams, the failures, the second chances. But what made her disappear so suddenly from her public life and, most importantly, can she find her way back?

The mother/daughter relationship is the most moving aspect of this excellent book, and as Cass becomes a mother herself the novels asks, to what extent can harmful patterns by broken? This engaging, emotionally charged novel about music, motherhood and mental illness deserves to be a hit. — THE OBSERVER

Barnett has that rare talent, like Curtis Sittenfeld or Kate Atkinson, of building up the mundane aspects of everyday life until they acquire meaning. — THE TIMES

Barnett excels herself in this mesmerising ballad of a book.. an authentic account of the true cost of laying oneself bare as a female artist in an industry where double standards reign. — STYLIST - BOOK WARS

Barnett's portrait is unusually perceptive, a mixture of evocative detail and sharp reportage that feels fresh to read — SUNDAY TIMES

Barnett's style is poetic, perceptive and so fully realised it reads like an exceptionally well-written biography of a real person.. A fascinating, occasionally sobering, portrait of fame. — DAILY MAIL

For fans of Laura Barnett's debut novel, The Versions of Us, her next novel Greatest Hits is no disappointment.. Barnett proves once again that she can master the art of storytelling and weave a complex, enticing plot into 400 pages. — THE INDEPENDENT

this is a wonderful story - soulful, tender and full of hope — SUNDAY MIRROR

has a wisdom and a harmony that are satisfying — THE GUARDIAN

the overriding melody in this seductive novel is the pleasure and pain of living a creative life. — SUNDAY EXPRESS

Everybody's talking about Greatest Hits. — GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

A thoughtful portrait of a competitive marriage, of artistic sacrifice, of female ambition and of irredemablle emotional damage." — METRO

In June look out for the second novel by Laura Barnett, the author of the bestselling debut The Versions of Us. Greatest Hits is the tale of legendary singer-songwriter Cass Wheeler who chooses 16 songs for her Greatest Hits compilation, the songs telling the story of her tumultuous life. — DAILY EXPRESS

Barnett's debut, The Versions of Us, was one of the hits of 2015. Her second novel tells the story of singer-songwriter Cass Wheeler, whose withdrawal from the music industry years ago was the cause of endless speculation. Now she's surfaced again, and over the course of one day she looks back over her life as she compiles her greatest hits album. — MAIL ON SUNDAY

The Versions of Us was a bestseller with rights sold in 25 countries. Her follow-up, Greatest Hits, is about a singer-songwriter who tells her tumultuous life story through her personal greatest hits compilation. — SUNDAY EXPRESS

Laura Barnett will follow up her bestselling debut, The Versions of Us. Greatest Hits tells the story of a hugely successful singer-songwriter who has disappeared from the music scene and selects 16 songs for her personal greatest hits compilation. — BBC NEWS

2017 is already shaping up to be a brilliant year for books. Bestselling authors Paula Hawkins and Laura Barnett will be back with their much-awaited second novels. — STYLIST.CO.UK

Laura Barnett's Greatest Hits is as readable a story as her debut The Versions of Us. — 25/01/17